Pentagon Leaks: How damaging is the intelligence leak for the US and the world?

The leak of over 100 classified documents has left the Pentagon red-faced and scrambling. On Thursday, 21-year-old Jack Teixeira was arrested in connection with the case. While the national guardsman has been taken into custody by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) the question of how much damage the documents can cause remains. Let’s take a closer look: On Russia and Ukraine The Pentagon has said that the documents “appear to contain sensitive and highly classified material” including analysis and intelligence on Ukraine and Russia. As per USA Today, some leaked material shows US intelligence on the preparedness of Ukraine’s forces Some of the most detailed slides appear to show what the U.S. believes about the training and state of readiness of Ukrainian forces, and the number of Ukrainian and Russian troops killed and equipment destroyed in the ongoing conflict. A source close to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN Ukraine has already changed some of its plans. The leak would prove valuable to Moscow by showing how deeply US intelligence has penetrated parts of the Russian military apparatus. As per CNN, access to these intercepted communications could be severed and human sources could now be under threat.

Ex-senior Pentagon official Mick Mulroy told Al Jazeera the news was ‘damaging’.

“I think the United States needs to do a better job of securing classified information,” Mulroy, who worked for the CIA, added. He said the biggest concern was the possibility that ways of gathering intelligence including human assets could be put in peril. [caption id=“attachment_12455022” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Classified Pentagon documents leaked last week say a stalemate is expected in the Donbas. AFP[/caption] Mulroy was at pains to emphasise the significance of the “ability to protect our assets, protect our way of doing business, so we know information that goes into making policy”. Ex-intelligence official Glenn Carle, putting it far more bluntly , said ‘some people may well die’ “Any counter-intelligence service will be hastily and thoroughly now working out who has access to that information in their country and reducing the number of possible individuals,” Carle told Al Jazeera. “And it’s quite possible that they could identify the sources — and depending on the country, that will damage or destroy their career or get them killed.” An official from Five Eyes – the intelligence group comprising the US, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia –  told CNN some of the information revealed could put Ukraine at a disadvantage. As per The Washington Post, a summary of Russia’s Donbas campaign predicts a battle of attrition likely headed towards a stalemate. “Gains for Ukraine will be hard to accomplish, but it does not help to have the private US assessment pointing to a likely yearlong stalemate revealed publicly,” the official told CNN. But some say it will do little to change the ground situation. “The leaks are definitely embarrassing and have a political cost,” Seth Jones, senior vice president and director of the international security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told USA Today. “Based on past wars, however, they are unlikely to have a meaningful impact on the outcome of the war in Ukraine.” On Israel, South Korea, UN As per CNN, a report on Israel claiming that the Mossad has been lending support to protests against the new regime – the most right-wing in Israel’s history – has sparked howls of protest. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office called the claim “mendacious and without any foundation whatsoever,” as per CNN. “The Mossad and its senior officials did not – and do not – encourage agency personnel to join the demonstrations against the government, political demonstrations or any political activity,” the statement said. [caption id=“attachment_12357192” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has angrily dismissed the claims. AFP[/caption] “The Mossad and its serving senior personnel have not engaged in the issue of the demonstrations at all and are dedicated to the value of service to the state that has guided the Mossad since its founding.”

The leaked documents show the US is keeping a close eye on its rivals.

According to The Guardian, documents show US putting pressure on South Korea to send ammo to Ukraine. As per The Washington Post, Seoul responded by suggesting that the arms be sold to Poland. The BBC reported that the United States thinks that the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres is ‘far too accommodating’ when it comes to Russia. The leaked documents, which detail conversations between Guterres and his close aides, suggest the US is carefully watching the UN secretary general. “Guterres emphasised his efforts to improve Russia’s ability to export,” the document read, “even if that involves sanctioned Russian entities or individuals”. On China and Iran The documents also say that if Ukraine attacks Russian territory, China could use the opportunity to ‘cast NATO as the aggressor’ and intensify its assistance to Russia, The Washington Post reported. Meanwhile, Iran’s attempts at gaining a nuclear weapon are also being carefully monitored. The reports seem to downplay the International Atomic Energy Agency capacity to ‘carry out its nuclear security mission’. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.